Remote work has become increasingly popular, especially since the pandemic and subsequent lock downs. These days the option to work from home has become one of the most desirable, heavily weighted benefits employees are looking for when evaluating job opportunities.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year now since over 16 million people began working from home due to COVID-19.

As a result, even companies that were highly resistant to the concept of allowing their workforce to perform their work remotely have become proficient at the new way of conducting business & in fact many former ‘naysayers’ are now amongst the strongest proponents on the benefits of a virtually based team.

From the employee’s viewpoint, the option to work remotely offers substantially, greater freedom and flexibility. There are tremendous positives from an employee’s perspective in having the opportunity to work from home. These include working in an environment that they can control, no lost time in commuting, & no car expenses just to name a few.

Many employees have even stated that they would be willing to forgo other benefits such as paid vacations, retirement plans, and even pay raises for the chance to work from home.

Skill sets in employees such as the ability to adapt to change and be flexible to ever changing conditions have taken on new levels of importance. People that can work independently are more sought after than ever before.

The pandemic has also accelerated the demand for certain services such as digitization which has sped up the growth for many companies.
READ MORE: The global pandemic has accelerated the pace of financial services digitization

There is no question that every single company in America has been changed due to Covid.

The only real question is whether they will emerge stronger, or weaker.

It appears that companies that have leadership that are adept at adjusting course in unchartered waters, and those that have managers that have flexibility as one of their core characteristics are faring the best.

ISC’s team of recruiters have also identified a few key components that seem to be consistent in the most successful remote teams that we have been working with.

We hope you find value in this, please let us know if we missed any!

Here are 4 Important Steps in Building Successful Remote Teams:

Building a Team Environment, Virtually

Since your workforce may not be physically showing up on a daily basis to the corporate offices, it is vital to ensure that employees feel connected to each other and with the organization as a whole.

Consider investing in an on-line team building exercise. There are some very innovative companies that are now specializing in these types of virtual training/team-building courses and everything we have heard has been extremely positive in terms of the ROI.

Communication & Collaboration

Open channels of communication and collaboration are essential for a group of workers to create & maintain that wonderful momentum that creates synergy when working as a team.

A minimum of once-a-week video calls should be scheduled so the team can discuss projects and tasks and work efficiently & in as collaborative environment as possible. With an increasing number of employees working remotely, companies are relying on cutting-edge technology to sharpen the communication and collaboration process and encourage teamwork.

Many organizations are investing in the latest tools that allow them to host meetings, virtual whiteboards to discuss projects, and project management software to ensure that collaborative synergies are maintained and that all tasks are completed on time.

Cybersecurity

With everything shifting to online platforms, cybersecurity has become a major concern for many organizations. The infrastructure of most companies was unprepared for this and were forced to invest in new tools that will allow for better online security. Many organizations have come up with multi-factor authentication and single sign-on (SSO) to allow employees to access business apps and services safely without compromising the security of sensitive data.

Recruitment And Training

Another major challenge faced by businesses in the wake of the pandemic is recruiting and on-boarding new employees. Organizations are implementing new practices of assessing potential candidates online and utilizing virtual interviews to vet suitable people to join their company.

Many companies have started relying on experienced executive recruitment agencies to take over the process, in order to gain access to exceptional candidates & to overcome the challenge of online recruiting.

Looking for Top Talent to Join Your Company?

International Search Consultants has been a leader in Executive Recruiting since 1999. ISCs team of experienced recruiters are also the #1 ranked recruiting agency in the US based on the # of Linked In Client recommendations.

We are very proud of our sterling reputation and pride ourselves at our ability to deliver exceptional talent to our Clients interview table.

Within our team of 15 recruiters, we can provide top talent for a multiple of Director level & higher roles in Sales, HR, Operations and Finance roles.

ISC’s Recruiting Team includes dedicated and experienced search professionals who can help design effective recruitment campaigns according to your needs to deliver top talent pool in the industry.

Check out the ISC success stories today & follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for the latest updates and industry insights.

Ann Zaslow-Rethaber is President of International Search Consultants, & can be reached directly at 888-866-7276 or via email at

Kim Garrison is Director of Financial Services Recruiters South-Central Region & can be reached directly 800-270-3974 or via email at